"I have to sleep..." I keep thinking, but I can't fall asleep!? 5 tips to help you fall asleep without rushing

This may be a sudden question, but do you have trouble falling asleep?

The more you think, "I have to get up early tomorrow, so I need to go to bed early...", the more awake you become.

In a survey we conducted, 67% of people answered that they have "experienced panic due to not being able to sleep." A further 17% answered that this "occasionally" occurs, meaning that a total of 84% of people have experienced "anxiety due to not being able to sleep" in some way.

The more anxious you are, the less sleep you can get. This phenomenon is actually very "human."

Here are five ways to break out of this "anxiety loop" and relax so you can fall asleep naturally .

1. Warm your body and relax your mind

Before we fall asleep, the temperature of our hands and feet rises, while the temperature inside our bodies (core body temperature) drops. This "control of body temperature" is the key to falling asleep smoothly.

The key is to heat it up once and then let it cool naturally.

• Take a leisurely bath
• Drink hot milk
• Take a break with some warm herbal tea

If you don't have milk in the fridge, warm water is fine! Gently warming your body will help you naturally transition into "sleep mode."

2. "I have to go to bed early" has the opposite effect!

Being determined to go to bed early can cause tension in the autonomic nervous system.

The more you think, "I can't sleep, what should I do, I have an important appointment tomorrow...!", the more your brain works at full capacity.

The solution is to have a "well, I'll get sleepy eventually" mentality.

Even if you can't sleep, just closing your eyes and spacing out will give your brain some rest. Try to think of it as a slightly longer "nighttime solo meeting."

3. Lose yourself in sleep-inducing sounds

The sounds that enter your ears have a surprising effect on your sleep.

• the sound of rain
• The sound of a bonfire
• the murmur of the river
• The sound of turning pages of a book
• Classical music and music boxes

There's a lot of sleep music on YouTube and Spotify, so try to find the sound that suits you. By the way, for some reason I find the sound of turning pages to be calming.

I don't know, but it kind of makes me feel like I'm in a library.

It might be just right to laugh a little at yourself listening to the sound of paper on a sleepless night.

4. Read a book instead of your smartphone

We all use our smartphones before going to bed...

Before you know it, you're drowning in the sea of ​​social media. (Once I find a recipe that looks delicious, it's all over.)

But smartphones are still too stimulating.

It excites the brain and makes it harder to fall asleep.

So that's where books come in.

It can be a novel, an essay, or even a manga.

As you follow the words with your eyes, your breathing will naturally slow down.

Rather than the content, the act of reading a book itself has a relaxing effect.

5. "Expensive Writing" - Putting the thoughts in your head onto paper

Especially recommended for people who can't sleep because they think too much.

Expensive writing is a way to let out the negative events and emotions of the day by writing them down on paper.

• Write honestly, assuming no one will see it
• Don't try to make it neat (scribbling is OK)
• 5 to 10 minutes is enough

By "getting your thoughts out of your head," you can organize your mind and reduce stress. You might even come up with some unexpected "masterpieces" (laughs).

Summary: Sleepless nights aren't so bad.

We tend to get anxious when we can't sleep.

But that's a very natural reaction.

The important thing is not to get too caught up in that anxiety, but to give yourself some leeway and say , "Well, there are nights like this."

All five of the methods introduced here are approaches that will help you free yourself from the pressure of having to sleep and naturally get closer to sleep.

✅ Warm up your body
✅ Don't rush
✅ Listen to the sounds
✅ Read a book
✅ Write it out

Sleep is not something you can control, but something that "comes to you." Please try out this "hospitality" to help you achieve this.

Well, have a sweet dream tonight.
Good night 🌙